What little things do you do in the evening before bed (or anytime I guess) which makes life easier later on?

[walkwalk]

What little things do you do now which makes life easier later on?

Particularly if you have young kids/busy lives or chronic illness (I have all...)

Like putting the dishwasher tablet in machine during the day so I don't have to bother walking six steps to the cupboard and back just before bed when I'm lazy knackered.

Fascinating stuff I know...

@SockDrawer
I don't want to sound like an advert, but I was given a Chilly thermal bottle in August. It is super-efficient in keeping cold things cold and hot things hot. If I make the coffee in the morning, it is too hot for me to drink before lunchtime. Making it the bight before (11ish) means it is just a nice temperature for an 8am drink.

Non-negotiables for the night before:

1. Laying out clothes for work/school
2. In the winter, put coats, scarves on radiator so we're all cosy when we head out.
3. Breakfast bowls etc ready. I have porridge so in my bowl I have a measuring cup to measure out porridge, spoon, mug, teaspoon and meds for example. We do that for each member of the family for whatever they eat.
4. Hair dryer out if I'm washing my hair in the morning.
5. Bags ready
6. Reminder notes if have to remember something eg tell DC where I've put their money for Children in Need

I am not a morning person and I have to be up at 6 am.

A notepad and pen sits on kitchen window sill for ongoing shopping list and for reminder for 'things to do' such as, order prescriptions etc.

Clean out my handbag once a week getting rid of crumpled tissues , putting receipts in drawer until through bank account, save any receipts necessary. Any used masks into the wash and always two spare masks in pouch. Amazing how organized you feel with a tidy bag.

Always carry pen and notepad in handbag. Same for spare pants and liner.

I make sure the kettle is full of water & I have a mug with a tea bag in it.
I also make sure there's a clean cat bowl, with a food sachet & a fork next to it.
It means I can go into the kitchen, switch on the kettle, feed the cat & make my brew with minimum effort....

I love some of these tips.

Typically I do things in roughly the same order each evening. Helps me remember everything. It goes:

• tidy up dinner things, clean kitchen, vacuum downstairs, wash kitchen floor, water plants (if needed), quick tidy up. Simultaneously try to listen to DD practise instruments, or test spellings, or read aloud whilst doing chores.
• turn on dishwasher
• put laundry in washing machine on timer to be done at 7am next day
• put out non-perishable breakfast things
• fill water bottles for next day, set out lunch boxes with non-perishable things, consult DD on what she wants for lunch next day
• fill kettle and put coffee granules in my breakfast mug . The sooner I have caffeine in the morning, the better.
• check family calendar (it's in the downstairs loo where I see it all the time)
• get school bags, coats etc ready in the hall.
• Go upstairs and start running the bath, while that is happening check weather and choose clothes for tomorrow.

One last tip: i use recurring weekly reminders on my phone for our most-forgotten events help: eg a ping at 6.15pm is very helpful to remind me to yell, "DD can you please put your piano music in your school bag ready for tomorrow!" (I have also set alarms on the iPad for DD's clubs that now meet online, as the ipad is never far away and she gets a 15 minute warning when something is due to start - one less thing for me to remember in the evenings.)

I'm a SAHM now but when I was working I left the house between 6.30am and 6.45am so being organised wasn't a choice as my DH works long hours and he cannot relax in the evening knowing there is heaps of things to do next morning.

I have a filter coffee machine and if I am organised I fill it with water, put in a paper filter and load it with ground coffee before I go to bed. Then in the morning I just have to press the on switch. The whole process only takes about 90 seconds so it’s not much of a time saving in the morning but it seems like such a luxury to have it all prepared and waiting for me. Present day me is always grateful to past me when I do it.

The machine actually has a timer facility so theoretically I could set it so the coffee was actually brewed and hot when I came down. I wouldn’t even have to go the trouble of pressing the on switch but I think then I’d be anxious about oversleeping and missing the magic moment when it’s absolutely fresh and piping hot.

I like things to be organised for the next morning as far as possible.

Put a load of laundry on to wash overnight. It is then ready to go on the airer or be tumble dried first thing.

Fill water bottles and put in fridge.

Make all packed lunches apart from if it is sandwiches. Even at the weekend.

Chop up a big bowl of fresh fruit and another bowl of fresh salad items ready to add to sandwiches, rice, pasta in the morning . The fruit can be quickly spooned into containers for work/school the next day and added easily to breakfast.

Put cereal bowls out with cereal containers.

Clean kitchen and do dishwasher.

Hoover downstairs.

Choose and lay out what I am going to wear.

Put uniform and nursery clothes out.

Fill and check my work bag or prep the out and about bag if I am not working and going out with DC the next day.

Children pack their school bags, put school shoes/wellies in a line and have coats, hats/sun hats, gloves scarves ready by the door. In summer keep bottle of suncream by the door.

Put toothpaste on children's tooth Brushes and soap on their washclothes ready for the next day

Meal plan and write up menu, so there are no arguments about what we are having for dinner.

Order enough personal care products for everyone each month, so no running out of toothpaste, deo etc.

Hoover downstairs before bed

Fill kettle with fresh water just before going up to bed.

It's a good idea for a thread.

I moved the dishwasher tablets into the drawer next to the dishwasher! Also keep all lunchboxes, Tupperware, water bottles together to minimise lunch faff.

My children are in secondary school. One empties the dishwasher first thing and the other washes up the lunchboxes by hand after school. We also run a bowl of water and all wash our own breakfast things by hand every morning. This is key to us fitting all the messier, harder to wash things in the dishwasher. Otherwise the DW ends up full of lunchboxes and cereal bowls and we end up washing lasagne dishes and scrambled egg pans by hand, which makes no sense.